Over the past three years, Walgreens Clinical Trials has demonstrated the power of bringing research directly to patients, creating more opportunities for clinical trial participation and pharmaceutical innovation.
This month, the team celebrates becoming the longest commitment to clinical research for a U.S. retail pharmacy. This marks three years of partnerships, progress, and the promise of more accessible and equitable research.
“For three years, our team has led a community-based research approach that not only improves patient access and ease of participation but ensures that insights collected are more representative of real-world populations,” says Ramita Tandon, chief biopharma officer at Walgreens. “The next chapter of clinical research is being written in retail settings, and we’re proud to lead this transformation.”
Walgreens Clinical Trials, by the numbers
Since launching in June 2022, Walgreens Clinical Trials has engaged more than 17 million customers for potential participation in sponsor-led clinical research, with Walgreens patient referrals 20% more likely to enroll in a study compared to other recruitment referrals.
The team has implemented a community-focused clinical research approach that focuses on meeting patients how they want to be engaged to ease common barriers in clinical trials like lack of opportunity and relevance to care.
Of those 17 million patients reached, about 63% are women, 44% are from groups historically underrepresented in clinical research and more than half are over age 60—a more representative patient population than traditional clinical trial models. This is a direct contrast to the industry average of less than 5% of the U.S. population participating in clinical research.
Partnership at the center
This success would not be possible without the life science partners who share Walgreens’ vision for patient-centered clinical research.
In recent years, Walgreens has collaborated with life science partners across the industry and has stood up 20 community-centered clinical trial sites throughout the U.S., bringing clinical research opportunities into communities that have historically not had easy access nor opportunity to consider clinical trial participation.
Walgreens also recently partnered with AstraZeneca to extend the reach of its AIRE (Accelerating Innovations and Research Excellence in Clinical Trials) Mobile Unit—a research bus bringing clinical trial opportunities to patients in their own communities.
AstraZeneca launched the AIRE Mobile Unit in March 2024 with the goal of reducing barriers to participation and expanding representation in clinical trials. In pursuit of a reliable and visible place to park the unit, Walgreens stood out as the clear partner.
“Walgreens’ trusted community presence and nationwide footprint made them an ideal partner to help us bring the AIRE Mobile Unit directly to patients,” says Maria Jison, executive director of clinical development at AstraZeneca. “Beyond logistics, Walgreens provided valuable insights—from foot traffic patterns to community engagement—that helped us optimize outreach and better serve patients.”
The result was more than 20,000 people engaged in clinical trial and disease education, with more than 1,900 individuals pre-screened for clinical trials.
Essential in-store partners
Although industry partnerships have been instrumental to Walgreens Clinical Trials’ growth, the company’s in-store pharmacy teams are a vital link connecting groundbreaking research with the patients who need it most. To further support pharmacy staff, the team also launched an internal nationwide training program focused on helping pharmacy staff prepare to answer clinical trials questions and reinforce clinical trial participants and potential participants on the benefits of joining a clinical trial.
“My partnership with the clinical trials team has given me the opportunity to learn, understand and apply my knowledge in product safety and regulations according to protocols which is beyond what I already do daily,” says Annmarie Soliman, pharmacy manager in Perth Amboy, NJ supporting clinical research.
Operating in about 8,500 locations, Walgreens team members help address patients’ specific barriers to care and engage with them about possible clinical trials that fit their needs.
This compassionate support combined with the convenience of virtual, in-store and at-home trial formats helps drive positive research experiences.
The future of clinical trials lies in meeting patients where they are—in their neighborhoods, at familiar locations and with care teams they deem trustworthy.
